What's on your ballot? - April 7, 2015
April 3, 2015
By Ballotpedia staff Follow @ballotpedia
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| April 7, 2015 elections |
| Alaska |
| California |
| Colorado |
| Florida |
| Illinois |
| Kansas |
| Missouri |
| Nebraska |
| Nevada |
| Wisconsin |
On April 7, voters in 10 states head to the polls to make their voices heard in municipal, school board, state legislative and statewide races. After numerous fierce political battles in Wisconsin over the past five years, the state's supreme court takes center stage in 2015.
Budget, judicial debates in Wisconsin
Wisconsin politics is in the spotlight on Tuesday in the midst of discussions about education budgets, money in court races and racial tensions in the capital. Voters in the Badger State will decide on races for county circuit court seats as well as one seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Incumbent Ann Walsh Bradley is seeking a third 10-year term against Rock County Judge James Daley in a race that has centered on partisanship in nonpartisan races and whether judges should recuse themselves from cases where litigants before the court have donated to 501(c)(4) groups involved in judicial campaigns. A constitutional amendment changing selection of the chief justice from a seniority system to a vote of current justices will also appear on the ballot with supporters of the amendment out-raising opponents $600,000 to $83,916.
Nineteen of America's largest school districts located in Wisconsin are holding elections for 50 seats, with 37 seats challenged by more than one candidate. These elections take place as administrators from Green Bay to Madison express concerns over the impacts of state budget talks on district budgets.[1][2] In Janesville, three of the five candidates are seeking election as write-ins, and challenger Carla Quirk faced questions of campaigning while working at the Rock County Courthouse.[3]
The city of Madison is also holding elections for mayor and 20 seats on the city council where the current mayor and 15 council members are seeking re-election. Madison residents shifted their focus from city services and affordable housing to racial inequality following the shooting and death of black 19-year-old Tony Robinson by a police officer on March 6.[4]
City council turnover in Ferguson
The race for three city council seats in Ferguson, Missouri, has highlighted the racial disparities in the community. Ferguson garnered national attention in August 2014 with the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown after an altercation with police officer Darren Wilson. Street protests, investigations and a grand jury decision to clear Wilson of charges exposed long-standing racial tensions in Ferguson. All three incumbents up for election in 2015 declined to run, leaving three open seats on the six-member council.
Four black candidates filed for election to the council, exceeding the three black candidates who ran for the position in the previous 120 years. The Ward 3 seat features two black candidates, Wesley Bell and Lee Smith, guaranteeing an additional black member of the council.[5]
Windy City mayoral runoff
Chicago's April 7 ballot features myriad city council runoffs along with a showdown between incumbent Rahm Emanuel and challenger Jesus "Chuy" Garcia for the mayor's office. Emanuel was unable to win a second term in office outright during the February 24 election in a five-candidate field, leading to a runoff with county commissioner Garcia. Emanuel has stood behind the city's use of red light cameras, while Garcia criticized the program's focus on generating revenue for the city. Garcia has argued for an elected city school board rather than the mayor-appointed board currently overseeing city schools. The mayor has criticized a plan supported by Garcia to add 1,000 cops to city streets, citing potential budget strains. Emanuel held a 13.4 percent lead in an Ogden & Fry poll on March 28, with 18.3 percent of polled voters undecided in the race.[6][7][8]
Other races
There are additional municipal races in Alaska, California, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Nevada. School board candidates are up for election in Alaska, California, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Special elections will also be held in Florida's State Senate District 6 and State House Districts 17 and 24.
Note: Click on the links below for more details about each race and election results.
Alaska
Municipal government
- Anchorage, Alaska - Mayor
School boards
- Anchorage School District - Three seats up for general election
California
Municipal government
- Sacramento, California - City Council
- San Jose, California - City Council
School boards
- California school board elections, 2015 - Two districts with six total seats up for general election
Colorado
Municipal government
- Colorado Springs, Colorado - Mayor & City Council
Florida
State legislatures
- Florida State Senate - District 6 (special general)
- Florida House of Representatives - Districts 17 and 24 (special general)
Illinois
Municipal government
- Chicago, Illinois - Mayor & City Council (Runoff)
School boards
- Illinois school board elections, 2015 - 24 districts with 83 total seats up for general election
Kansas
Municipal government
- Wichita, Kansas - Mayor & City Council
School boards
- Kansas school board elections, 2015 - Seven districts with 28 total seats up for general election
Local ballot measures
- Wichita, Kansas - Initiative to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana
Missouri
Municipal government
- Ferguson, Missouri - City Council
- Kansas City, Missouri - Mayor & City Council
- St. Louis, Missouri - Board of Aldermen
School boards
- Missouri school board elections, 2015 - 16 districts with 35 total seats up for general election
- Kansas City, Missouri - Questions concerning sale of specific city property and a business license fee on short term loan establishments
Nebraska
Municipal government
- Lincoln, Nebraska - Mayor & City Council (Primary)
School boards
- Lincoln Public Schools - Three seats up for primary election
Nevada
Municipal government
- Henderson, Nevada - City Council (Primary)
- Las Vegas, Nevada - Mayor & City Council (Primary)
- North Las Vegas, Nevada - City Council (Primary)
Wisconsin
Ballot measures
- See also: Wisconsin 2015 ballot measures
State courts
- See also: Wisconsin judicial elections, 2015
- Circuit court seats in 11 counties, Wisconsin Court of Appeals District III and one seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court
Municipal government
- Madison, Wisconsin - Mayor & City Council
School boards
- Wisconsin school board elections, 2015 - 19 districts with 50 total seats up for general election
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ WTAQ, "Green Bay-area public school officials decry proposed budget cuts," March 18, 2015
- ↑ NBC 15, "Superintendents send letter to lawmakers over budget concerns," February 18, 2015
- ↑ GazetteXtra, "Names from records request voice disapproval at Janesville School Board meeting," January 28, 2015
- ↑ Vox, "What we know about the police shooting of unarmed 19-year-old Tony Robinson in Madison, WI," March 9, 2015
- ↑ New York Times, "City Council Races Offer Change in Ferguson After Months of Upheaval," March 14, 2015
- ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "2 Emanuel mayoral challengers blast red-light camera program," December 21, 2014
- ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "Emanuel unveils second-term education agenda, confronts school closings," January 8, 2015
- ↑ MyFoxChicago.com, "Combating crime big issue in 2016 mayoral race," December 23, 2014
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